Hey sweet Melissa . Those snacks sound great ! Today was the best day .. It was Friday ... and no work till Monday ! B- Nectar L-Cherry-Chicken Walnut Salad . D-3 Shrimp .. bite o potatoe .. some brocoli salad . Will do another Nectar before bed .. Not much to eat today .. been busy .. Love ya .. and have a great weekend ! Natalie

1) What is your strangest, wildest, or silliest goal after losing the weight. fitting in an airplane seat, going on roller coasters. I can do the roller coasters, did that this summer, havent had the money to fly anywhere, lol. And not really a goal, but all my earings used to pop out from my ears being so fat, and I wondered if I would ever get to wear earrings again or if that was just how my ears were. Suprise I lost weight in my ears too, lol. 2) Do you have any tattoos, If so, how many and where? None 3) What was the DEFINING moment that led you to choose weight loss surgery. Lots of things, mainly wanting to be around for my family, and get to do more with them. Always worrying about dying from some related obese problem. Melissa

Lately, it struck home in the most unusual way that I am no longer morbidly obese. I work in an office building with small elevators and hall space, and I find that I bump into people a lot. That *never* used to happen. It finally occurred to me why this is: people no longer see me and automatically move out of my way. Over the years, I've grown accustomed to this, so when I come face to face with someone, I assume that the other person is going to move out of my way. This is no longer true. I have to make a conscious effort to move out of the way, especially with men, who themselves seem to assume that others will move for them. Unless "others" is a fat woman. I'm both thrilled with this realization, and offended This is a feeling that I've also had to grow accustomed to, as I find that my current, and especially new relationships have completely changed. Part of it is certainly my improved self esteem, but that's not the only explanation, nor do I think it's the central one. It strikes me now more than ever how prejudiced society is towards fat women. I know that I'm not alone in this. Anyone else care to share their experiences? I am 5'6" and as of today, I weigh 156 lbs. I'm thrilled with my weight loss, and will be happy if I do not lose any more (so long as I don't gain).

Just wondering for those of you who had hairloss after surgery... have you already seen or do you see now all these little hairs sticking up on your head? Currently I have all these 1 inch hairs popping up... I guess it's re-growth and not split hair. I still notice some hairloss though. Anyone else? Rhonda

Hi Nat... Glad you're feeling better, but I think I'm getting your bug! 1) Really can't come up with a strange/wild/silly goal. I just couldn't wait to feel GOOD!! AND BOY DO I! 2) No tats for me. 3) Started staying home more and more, because I could not stand the reflection I was seeing in mirrors & windows...could not belive it was me! Stopped being in family & holiday photos...could not stand what I saw. When I realized I couldn't & wasn't getting my diabetes undercontrol & was maxed out on meds and going to have to go on Insulin....that was the final straw! Have a great weekend Pam RNY 5/13/04 268/155 below goal & maintaining